Omnivore: An opportunistic consumer of both plant and animal products who specializes in neither carnivorous or herbivore habits.

Friday, January 11, 2013

Loleta Meat Market

Yesterday I received tragic news. My favorite butcher, a person I felt was becoming a friend ( and I think still is) was given a 60 day notice to vacate her place of business. This person is Pixie. Pixie is the coolest female butcher on the planet in my honest opinion, and she owns Loleta Meat Market. When I got the news I was horrified and quite frankly pissed off. Why? Because the people who are evicting her are none other then the owners of the Loleta Bakery. New comers, from Healdsburg, CA.

I will give you some background on these people, the Van der Zee's. This is what I know, they moved here from Healdsburg - Bay Area - bought up a bunch of property (including Pixie's building) that the deceased Fred Deo's estate owned and proceeded to improved and revitalize. At first I can say I was excited about this, as were many Loletian's. But then one day the Victorian Bar that they had redone and had up and running shut down ( The Guilded Rose). Then the rumor was, they were going to open a bakery and they had moved their liquor license to the little market in town. Ok. Well. That didn't sound so bad. But.... Mrs. Van der Zee got herself voted onto the Loleta School Board. The first time I met her was at an open house at the school and I had an instant dislike for this woman. I'm not sure why, but the hair on the back of my neck stood up when she spoke. Instincts are important to pay attention to.

Time went on. Mrs. Van der Zee pulled a few stunts on the school board that set the town parents on fire. She backed off, but she did not learn her lesson.

Yesterday I got word about the eviction. I decided that I would publicize this on my blog and put it out there that, even though Mrs. and Mr. Van der Zee own the building that Pixie runs her building in, what they are doing is so very wrong. In a time when we are trying to push local business and fight chains and fight out of town businesses. We're supposed to be supporting LOCAL business, and here we are with two people from HEALDSBURG shutting our LOCAL beloved butcher shop down. I grew up in a small town. I have suffered people like this all of my life, and I am done with them! Let them go home to Healdsburg where they belong. They have no sense of community and they are greedy selfish, self important people that our little town does not need.

These people set up a nice business and put out good food. That's fine. That's great. That's dandy. But they do not get the idea of good business practices. Their business compliments Pixie's Meat Market as it does the Loleta Cheese Factory. The smartest thing to do, would be to create a cooperative between the three and bring more people into town for business. But the Van der Zee's don't work with others. They work for themselves, and they do it in an unwise fashion. I think today they have felt the payback of their bad choices. The community has rallied behind Pixie, and the support is only growing. In the hundreds of posts I've seen (maybe the thousands at this point) on facebook about this, only 2 have been negative against Pixie, and even then those people were waffling.

I will say, I know Pixie. Not well, I've only known her as an acquaintance for about 6 or 7 years, then I really started spending time talking to her and trying to get to know her over the past couple of years. I consider her a friend. I consider her a hard working, talented and extremely altruistic and giving woman and sweet to a fault. What really pissed me off is Peter and Jeannie Van der Zee have taken advantage of this woman's sweet and trusting personality. They have, in a sense, raped her. They are shallow unforgivable people who need a hard lesson of their own, and I'm seeing it come down the pike as we speak. The outpouring of support and love that has come Pixie's way has done my heart good. I will say, I'm not surprised. The day I first met Pixie, I instantly liked the lady. She's got some rough edges, but hey! She's a butcher for God's sake. She is one of the sweetest, most gentle, kindest people I have ever met! She is a Buddhisthava . I have never heard her say an unkind word against another. Even when I tried to goad her into it. It's against her nature to do so. She is VERY hard working, she is VERY forgiving, she is no model, but EXTREMELY beautiful. When she smiles the room lights up. She is a good soul who takes care of anyone and everyone she can. To do what the Van der Zee's are doing to her is blasphemous.

So I am here to support Pixie and Loleta Meat Market. I am here to say I will never spend another dime with with Loleta Bakery. As Forest Gump says, Stupid is as Stupid does. I will enjoy watching them shoot themselves in the foot. I will spend my money on Pixie's delicious sausages and other delicious meat products, and I will do what I can to keep this lovely woman in business. Integrity counts and Pixie has more then enough of it! Rock on Pixie! Rock on Loleta Meat Market!